Our Constitution:
Should I be fortunate enough to win this campaign, I will look forward to placing my hand on the Bible, taking the oath of office and swearing to support and defend our U.S. Constitution.

I am a strong proponent of our Constitution and I strongly believe that we should interpret it as our Founding Fathers initially drafted it, and as the American people have shaped it in the years since.

As a U.S. Senator, I will only support federal judicial appointees who seek to strictly interpret our Constitution in its original intent – and I will strongly oppose those who have demonstrated a desire and willingness to legislate from the bench.

Abortion:
As a born and raised practicing Catholic, I am pro-life. My personal views on abortion are consistent with the views of my church – and they are the views I carry with me everyday. While this issue has created significant debate and controversy within our states, our political parties and our federal government, my views on abortion will not change should I be fortunate enough to be elected to the U.S. Senate.

It is my strong belief that Roe v. Wade was an act of judicial activism and that this decision remains inconsistent with our U.S. Constitution. Further, while I have many dear friends and family members who I may disagree with on the issue of abortion and the Roe v. Wade decision, I believe the practice of partial birth abortion is one of the most appalling procedures ever condoned by our government. It is simply beneath the dignity of any free society.

For decades federal law has prohibited the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortion. As a part of the health care bill, there has been an effort to change this established law. I am strongly opposed to using the taxes – that the American people pay – to fund abortion in any form. If I am elected to the U.S. Senate, I will fight to maintain the existing law that prohibits our tax dollars from funding abortion.

Finally, as a state senator, I voted for and worked to pass parental notification legislation that required parents to be involved in the decisions of their minor children regarding pregnancy. As a U.S. Senator, I will work to ensure we have strong and enforced federal parental notification laws so minor children cannot be taken across state lines for abortions in states that do not have their own parental notification laws.

Marriage:
I believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman, and that is how I voted when this issue came before the voters of Nevada by way of Question 2 about a decade ago. That measure passed in consecutive elections and is now part of our state’s Constitution.

The 10th Amendment guaranteeing States’ Rights is of significant importance to me and to all Nevadans. We are a state that is 87 percent owned and regulated by the federal government, and far too often, the federal government passes unfunded mandates and laws that significantly impact states and citizens’ rights within the states – completely disregarding our 10th Amendment.

When I supported Question 2 in Nevada, I believed the issue of marriage was properly left to the individual voters of each state by way of the 10th Amendment to our U.S. Constitution. I still believe this today, and that is why I am not a proponent of a federal amendment to our U.S. Constitution banning gay marriage. I am yet to be convinced that such an Amendment doesn’t conflict with the very important guarantee of States’ Rights under the 10th Amendment.